1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to seats for bicycles, particularly, seats that can be pneumatically adjusted for comfort and fit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Despite the renewed popularity of bicycling over the last twenty years that has resulted in a plethora of improvements, a comfortable bicycle saddle is still absent. Some attempts have focused on saddle spring arrangements or the use of more resilient materials. Pneumatic seats have appeared to offered the most promising improvement. However, current designs have been found to be deficient.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,851, issued to Noyes et al. on Sep. 16, 1986, discloses a pneumatic saddle that is rotocasted or reaction injected molded to provide a hollow saddle. The hollow saddle via a valve is said to be capable of being inflated to preferably 20 to 40 psi. The saddle cannot be adjusted while riding and must be connected to an external source of high pressure air to inflate the seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,251, issued to Bouria on Sep. 14, 1993, discloses another pneumatic saddle. In this device, the hollow cavity within the saddle is provided with a plurality of partitions that communicate with one another. The seat is fitted with a conventional air valve that is used with automobiles and bicycles tires. Again, this seat cannot be adjusted while riding and must be connected to an external source of high pressure air to inflate the seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,249, issued to Weber et al. on Jul. 19, 1994, discloses still another variation of a pneumatic bicycle seat. In this device, a deformable polyurethane bladder is used to contain the "firmness" adjusting fluid, preferably a gel of PVC resin and a dialkyl phthalate plasticizer along with air. As above, the device cannot be easily adjusted, nor can be adjusted when the bicyclist encounters different cushioning needs while riding.
Another variation of the bladder theme is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,993, issued to Heh on Jan. 25, 1994. In this device, a complicated fluid supply reservoir is connected to a fluid containing bladder. A check valve is required to be connected between the two. A second valve is required to release pressure. The location of a fluid reservoir is positioned under the seat where it is nearly impossible to reach when a bicyclist is seated. Thus, the device cannot be adjusted while the user is riding the bicycle.
A pneumatic bicycle saddle that ergonomically conforms to the anatomical shape of either male or female bicyclists, can be easily adjusted while riding, and is uncomplicated to manufacture is not found in the prior art.